Jörg Wuttke is currently serving his third term as President of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China, a role in which he has become known for his frank views on the local business and economic scene. A longtime resident in China, Mr. Wuttke is also a member of the Advisory Board of the Mercator Institute for China Studies (MERICS). The following is a lightly edited transcript of an interview in which he discussed China's zero-Covid approach, the current business climate and European companies' commitment to China. Jörg Wuttke. Illustration by Lauren Crow

Q: Let's start with a recent survey that you've done at the European Chamber that suggests that nearly a quarter of European companies now in China are thinking of shifting investment out of the country, about the highest level in a decade for that question. What do those companies need to see from the party and from the leadership in Beijing?

A: The question we ask is: Are you considering shifting any plann

Despite they know dangers of ‘Zero-COVID’ policy, still will not change, says EU Chamber of Commerce

ANI  

Despite they know dangers of 'Zero-COVID' policy, still will not change, says EU Chamber of Commerce

President of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China, Joerg Wuttke (Photo Credit: Twitter)

Beijing [China], May 3 (ANI): President of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China revealed that in a closed-door meeting with top-Communist Party of China (CPC) officials, they have made it clear that they know the dangers of the “Zero-COVID” policy and its impact on the economy but still will not change the line of forced zero-covid.

While giving an interview to the Swiss newspaper, Neue Zurich (NZZ), Joerg Wuttke said that despite they know the dangers of the “zero-covid” policy, they will not change the line of forced zero-covid until the end of power struggles for the 20th Party Congress.

He further said that for the past two years, the party leadership and the government have been making up the narrative that China has handled the pandemic much better than the Western countries but now that narrative is blowing up.

The CPC’s propaganda itself has made the Chinese very afraid of the Omicron variant. The authorities didn’t propagate that the Omicron variant was milder, or that other countries had learned to live with the virus. The authorities also spent a year talking down about Western mRNA vaccines. So, the CCP has put itself in a dilemma.

The leadership can’t admit at the upcoming 20th Congress that there is another way to deal with Covid. They can’t admit that the Europeans are already able to fly on vacation and go back to a normal life to a large extent. They also can’t admit that it makes sense to use an mRNA vaccine in addition to the Chinese vaccine. (ANI)

This report is auto-generated from ANI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.

振聋发聩的声音:北京在启动自我毁灭模式
www.creaders.net | 2022-08-16 13:29:32  大纪元 | 7条评论

振聋发聩的声音:北京在启动自我毁灭模式

2022年7月31日,在中国广州市的一个测试点,居民正在排队接受COVID-19冠状病毒的核酸测试。(STR/AFP via Getty Images)

中国欧盟商会主席伍德克(Joerg Wuttke)接受“中国连线”(the Wire China)采访时警告说,北京在启动“自我毁灭”模式。

他在中国断断续续生活了三十多年,是一个既可以跟中共高官直言不讳交谈、批评中共当局政策,又可逃脱中共报复的欧洲顶级商界人物,他每次接受外媒采访的内容都会令《环球时报》和外交部发言人恼怒。

 
伍德克表示,他见证了中国过去40年的许多危机,包括1989年六四,以及2003年的SARS,2007年全球经济危机,甚至更早1997年的亚洲金融危机,但这次COVID-19清零政策带来的问题更大。

“我们以前从未遇到过这种情况,……无力改变政策对我来说是件新鲜事。”他还警告说,中共现在处于“自我毁灭状态”。

伍德克一直公开反对习近平的清零政策,他曾在4月致函中共国务院副总理胡春华,介绍清零政策如何扰乱欧洲公司在华运营。信中说,大规模测试和隔离的旧方法已经不能应对Omicron变种病毒,北京应该修改政策。但他没有收到任何回应。

中共宁肯遭受经济打击、也要坚持清零的政治做法令他不安。

伍德克告诉“中国连线”,中共政治家和技术官僚现在(居然)愿意接受经济打击,这对他来说是一个新的层面。让他真的很不解。

对眼下中国经济问题的症结,伍德克一针见血地回答说,“信心问题”。

他表示,中共当局像2020年中国新年前后那样往经济领域砸钱——建造更多道路、桥梁和歌剧院,这可能是一个可能的方案,但现在“人们想要的是有可预测性;他们希望确定经济将回到稳定的水域中”。

“现在是一个信心问题,你不能朝信心砸钱。”伍德克说。

不是欧洲依赖中国市场 而是中国依赖欧洲市场

伍德克纠正了一些令人惊讶的中欧贸易基本事实。他表示,现在不是欧洲出口依赖中国市场,而是中国出口依赖欧洲市场。

中国是欧洲产品出口到海外的一个非常小的目标市场。大约五年前,欧盟卖给瑞士的货物比卖给中国的还多。

现在,平均每天约有13亿欧元的中国商品被卖到欧洲市场,而欧洲每天平均向中国销售约6亿欧元的商品。

“他们更依赖我们的消费者市场,胜过我们对中国市场的依赖。这实际上是相当令人震惊的。”伍德克说。

欧盟对中共许诺但不开放市场不满

伍德克表示,欧盟企业没有在中国获得许诺的进入市场的机会,很多时候,欧盟企业是“鼻子贴在窗户上看着”中国的经济发展,但是由于市场限制,他们进不去。

他批评说,欧盟的决策者们长期以来对中共都太天真了,欧盟应该与美国联合起来,要求北京兑现其在加入世界贸易组织(WTO)做出的各种承诺,包括给予外国公司跟中国公司在国外多年来一直享有的同样水平的市场准入。

根据他的观察,越来越多的欧盟政界已经开始行动,对华态度的真正转变是在四五年前。欧盟委员会对中国的最新角色定位是“伙伴、竞争者和对手”。

伍德克总结说,商界支持政界的做法,要求北京“对等”。

中共让外企给国企当小妾

伍德克表示,北京只有扶持出行业冠军之后,等到它自己的行业准备好了,才开始对外国企业开放行业。

“当它们开放(行业)的时候,我们看到舞龙表演等等,我们被允许进入车站。但火车已经离开了。”伍德克说,“我们在许多其它领域也有过这样的情况……它们只允许市场变得无趣之后,才让我们进入市场。”

他表示,中共的所谓开放“总是非常有选择性,非常重商主义,坦率地说,非常令人失望”。

伍德克形容,外国公司过去是中共国有企业的小妾。

现在,欧盟也在磨利工具箱,对中国投资进行筛选,同时还提出了一个新的经济胁迫法,并正在研究一个国际采购工具。